Inking pad



Dec. 9,

H. J. RAP LEY ET AL INKING PAD Filed 001,. 1925 Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,518,756 PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY J. RAPLEY, OF CAMBRIDGE, AND LAWRENCE W. KENDBIGK, OF BOSTON,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE GARTERS INK'COMPANY, OF CAMBRIDGE,MASSACHU$ETTS, .A. CORIPOBATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

rnxme PAD.

Application filed October 9, 1923. Serial No. 667,488.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY J. RAPLEY, of Cambridge, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, and LAWREN E W. KENDRIGK, ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk, in said State,both citizens of theUnited States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in InkingPads, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to an inking pad of the general type used forinking stamps or dies. More specifically the invention relates to animprovement in that type of inking pad employing a covered ink-carryingtop lay of felt or other ink-absorbing material to which the stamp ordie is applied, which top lay is supplemented by aninner inkcarrying.lay of some material which acts as a reservoir for the top lay, givingup its ink to the top lay for keeping it properly saturated at all timesas long as any ink K remains in the pad.

While the making of an inking pad of this type would appear to present avery simple problem, yet very serious difficulties have been encounteredin practice, which in so far as we are aware have never been successfully overcome. In the first place the top and inner lays of felt orother inkabsorbing material must be separated from each other in orderthat the inner lay may not too freely give up its ink to the top lay,but only as occasion requires for keeping the top lay properly saturatedas the ink becomes exhausted therefrom. The means of separation betweenthe two lays should also act as a uniform support for the top laythroughout its entire area, for otherwise repeated use of the stamp ordie at some par ticular part of the pad willcause a depression thereinand the pad will become practically useless, for in order that the padmay function properly at all times the top lay of felt or otherink-saturated material should maintain a uniform level surface withoutdepression at any point.

In practice all means or elements separating the two lays of felt havehad one or the other of the following objections: If the elementproperly supported the top lay of felt to maintain a level surface itwould not permit of the proper passage of ink from the wise supported insuch a manner as to af 7 ford at all times a proper uniform support forthe top lay and which will permit of a proper feed of ink from the innerlay to the top lay as occasion requires.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to thedrawings, in which I Figure 1 in a perspective of the inking pad.

Fig. 2 is a plan showing the various parts ofdthe pad with portionsthereof removed, an

3 is a cross section.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the body of the receptacle or boxin which the inking pad proper is contained. The body is provided with ahinged cover 2.

The inking pad comprises a base 3 of some elastic non-ink-absorbingmaterial, and in this connection a base of rubber or rubber compound ispreferably employed.

Mounted on the base is alay lof absorbent felt, hereinafter referred toas the inner lay.

Over the lay 4: is placed a thin perforated plate 5 of some stiff thoughflexible non-inkabsorbing material, and in this connection a plate ofmaterial of fibrous nature such as stiff oiled paper is preferablyemployed.

Over the perforated plate is a lay 6 of ab-- sorbent felt substantiallylike the lay The lay 6 will hereinafter be referred to as the top lay.

Over the top lay 6 is placed a thin cover 7 of fabric material or clothwhich extends downwardly around the sides of the entire pad binding theparts together, and is preferably fastened or cemented to the under sideof the base 3.

In the operation of the pad the plate 5 backing the top lay of feltpossesses sufficient stiffness to enable it to so support the lay thatit will present and maintain an man even top surface or face. Whenthestainp or die is applied to the top lay it is subjected to pressureover a relatively restricted die be repeatedly applied at substantiallythe same point. The elasticity of the base also prevents any depressionbeing formed in the lay of felt 4, the two lays of felt continuing tomaintain their original even thickness during the life of the pad.

Upon the application of pressure to the top lay, as when the stamp ordie is used, the action tends to compress the inner lay of felt 4between-the plate 5 and the base, thereby tending to press out the inkand the perforations in the plate enable the ink to pass through thisplate and feed into the top lay. If, however, the plate 5 be a stiffnon-flexible plate, then any pressure applied to this plate will bedistributed evenly over the entire surface of the inner lay 4:.Consequently a very high degree of pressure would have to be applied tothis plate to press the ink therefrom and the pressure from the ordinaryuse of a stamp or die would be practically negligible, with the effectthat the ink might be entirely remains in it,

exhausted from the top lay and ink still remain in the inner lay, sucilay then failing entirely to function as a reservoir for feeding the toplay. On the other hand, if the plate 5 be flexible so as to yield topressure applied over a relatively small area and if, also, the innerlay be backed by an unyielding surface, then in such case the inner laywill be so compressed that the ink will be too quickly forced out of itand the top lay will become over-saturated. The elastic or yielding base3 of present construction, however, overcomes this difficulty. In otherwords, though the plate 5: is fleXible, yet owing to the yieldingelasticity of the base the inner lay will not become so compressed as togive up its ink too freely, but the operation will be a very gradualone, the inner lay acting as a true protracted feed for the toplay asink becomes exhausted therefrom, the feed 'of ink from the "inner laycontinuing as long as any ink Having thus fully described our invention,we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States Allinking pad comprising a receptacle having within'it a base of someelastic nonv- HARRY J. RAPLEY. LAWRENCE W. KENDRICK;

